Director ADS Scotland

Job Description

The Role​

The Director of ADS Scotland will lead the organisation’s activities across Scotland, representing and advancing the interests of members in the aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors.

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This is a senior leadership role, responsible for shaping regional strategy, building powerful stakeholder relationships, and driving membership growth and engagement. The postholder will ensure that Scotland remains a strong contributor to the UK’s national industrial strategy and that ADS members in the region are well supported, connected, and represented.

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The Regional Director will represent and champion the interests of ADS members in Scotland, building strong partnerships with government, academia, and industry to drive innovation and competitiveness.

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They will play a key role in influencing industrial strategy and economic policy, while also growing and energising the membership to strengthen the regional ecosystem.

The role directly reports to the Chief of Staff with three direct reports.

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The role includes responsibility for developing and managing the annual regional delivery plan and budget, maintaining effective cost control, and ensuring strong return on investment from all regional activities. The successful candidate will also generate income through events, sponsorship, and membership growth.

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This is a pivotal leadership opportunity to shape the future of the advanced engineering and defence sectors across Scotland.

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The Key Relationships

• Member companies across Scotland
• Scottish government departments and agencies, regional and local government stakeholders
• ADS HQ and UK regional teams
• Academic and research institutions
• Partner organisations, clusters, and industry associations

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The Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a strategic and influential leader who can translate organisational goals into clear regional priorities and actions. They will bring proven senior‑level leadership experience within the aerospace, defence, security, or space sectors, or a closely related advanced manufacturing or technology industry. With a strong understanding of the economic and policy landscape in Scotland, they will be politically aware, emotionally intelligent, and comfortable navigating complex stakeholder environments.

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They will be an exceptional communicator with strong interpersonal and networking skills, able to represent members’ interests confidently at senior levels across industry, government, and academia. As a collaborative leader, they will build trust, develop high‑quality relationships, and motivate diverse stakeholders to achieve shared objectives. Experience in leading and inspiring a small, high‑performing team while working effectively with national or international colleagues, is essential.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong project management and organisational capability, balancing multiple priorities across policy, member engagement, and events. They will be results‑focused and entrepreneurial, identifying opportunities for growth and delivering measurable outcomes. Commercial and financial acumen, including budget management, will be key to their success.

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They will be flexible, self‑motivated, and comfortable working independently while remaining an active member of a wider UK team. Integrity, professionalism, and a strong sense of public purpose and member service are vital attributes. The successful candidate will also be digitally confident, using CRM systems, analytics tools, and modern communication platforms to support engagement and reporting.

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This is a role for a confident, credible leader, equally at ease in boardrooms, government meetings, and factory floors. A willingness to travel extensively across Scotland and the UK is required.

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The Contract & Benefits

Contract; Permanent, fulltime role, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week

Location; Hybrid working - 3 days in the designated ADS Scotland office, Edinburgh and 2 days from home, with regular travel across Scotland and the wider UK as required.

Job Description; Director - ADS Scotland Job Description.docx

Benefits; bonus, pension, private health insurance, life insurance, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, 9-day fortnight, hybrid working, extended remote working, enhanced parental leave, 28 days annual leave, buy additional annual leave, long service additional annual leave

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